London New Year’s Celebrations

(Eve and Festival)

English2011/2012

Work by:

Luís Oliveira, nº10

Patrícia Pereira, nº14

Contents

New Year’s Eve Firework

Display River Cruise

Festival and Parade 2012 London's New Year's Day Parade

Sponsors Performer highlights The Festival Concert Series

London Borough Competition Route of the Parade Conclusion Sources

New Year’s Eve

Surely there's no better place to be on New Year's Eve

than London. London comes alive with celebrations,

fireworks and parties in every corner of the capital. The

skies are alive with light and color on 31st December

with a huge firework exhibition at the London Eye,

promising something special for New Year’s Eve and, in

this year, the beginning of a year of cultural and sporting

celebrations in 2012.

Wait until the clock strikes 12 to witness the celebrations.

And, for those who prefer the party scene, New Year's

Eve in London offers you some of the best clubs, pubs,

dining, private celebrations and sophisticated functions in

the world. Of course it’s more expensive but is worth it.

And don’t forget the celebration continues with the New

Year's Day Parade the following morning.

Firework Display

The big event for New Year's Eve is the world

class free firework display along the river Thames

at the London Eye with fireworks being launched

off the 135 m high wheel. The display will start

after Big Ben chimes midnight and will lasts for 10

minutes. It gets very crowded and is limited to

250,000 people in the viewing areas. The best

spots to watch the fireworks are from Westminster

Bridge and the opposite of the London Eye.

River Cruise

A luxury river cruise along the River Thames can be a romantic

way to bring in the New Year. Most boats plan to moor in sight of

the London Eye fireworks at midnight so you will get the best view.

Festival & Parade

The first London New Year’s Day Parade was in 1986. Every

year the streets are filled with marching bands, cheerleaders,

clowns, acrobats, balloons.... It is a fun, fabulous, thrilling,

and exciting event that raises ten thousands of pounds per

year for charity. London comes alive every year with

fun and festivities to mark the beginning of New Year.

The staggering number of participants makes this

one of the world’s biggest New Year's events.

2012 London's New Year's Day Parade

This year was established as the Gold Jubilee and the parade

marks the Queens Diamond Jubilee. The preparations for the 26th

London's New Year's Parade started long ago. It was the first

event in a year of celebrations to honor Queen Elizabeth II and the

first event in London's Olympic year, probably the biggest sporting

event in London since 1948. More than 10,000 performers

representing 20 countries in the whole world participated on it.

London residents and international performers as like,

with everyone from dancers and musicians to clowns

and puppeteers taking to the streets for a day. Major

broadcasters like BBC, CNN, Fox news or CBS have covered

the event and more than 500.000 packed London's streets to

see this fantastic event.  Crowds line the streets to cheer the

parade to see a lively, vibrant event.

Performer highlights

Highlights were and normally are cycling clubs, Morris

dancers, the London Fire Brigade, an army of clowns, minis

and a whole load of donkeys. More than 10,000 performers

were there from American high school marching bands to

London hospitals and environmental groups.

Sponsors

This parade has a group of sponsors that have a role in the event contributing and cooperating with

the world’s greatest Parade and having exposure of their brand. 

The Festival Concert SeriesThis year a selection of gala concerts took place in

the New Year’s Day Parade. Jazz bands, classical

music and choirs performed in concerts that raised

funds for London charities and they are done to get

you in the mood for the parade on New Year’s Day.

This year, a variety of concerts were in the plan.

London Borough CompetitionEvery year all the 31 boroughs compete against each other in a completion: The Let's Help London

Challenge, which are invited by the City of Westminster to perform an act,

float, or other form of entertainment or exhibit that demonstrates a facet of

the Borough. They compete for prizes

for their charities and recently has

reached 40000 £ that makes a

difference every year in London’s charities that with the money

collected on the street raise over a million pounds since its early

beginnings, making it the biggest fundraising event.

Route of the Parade

The Parade starts on Piccadilly at the

junction with Berkeley Street and finishes at

Parliament Street passing by such places as

Piccadilly Circus, Waterloo Place and

Trafalgar Square. The route has 2 miles.

Conclusion  Every year, London becomes the most vibrant capital to spend the New Year’s Eve and days

forward. From the fireworks to the parade, London hosts thousands of people in an exciting

celebration that everyone wants to be a part of. And, the less fortunate are not forgotten. The year

starts with the fund raising parade, to begin the year with the right foot. London is the stage of an

awesome party. What more could you want? Forget about New York! London is the place to be.

Sources

www.londonparade.co.uk www.aurelijusvarna.com www.london.gov.uk www.golondon.about.com www.dailymail.co.uk www.viewlondon.co.uk www.checkinlondon.blogspot.com